We’re back with another edition of Mailbag Monday, where I take fan questions that were submitted through Formspring.me and provide them with answers that, in my mind, are informative and well-thought-out.

If you’re interested in having your question be a part of Mailbag Monday, check out my Formspring.me page and submit your question. You can do it completely anonymously and you don’t have to sign up for anything. Easy.

On to the mailbag:

Question: Do you think Michael Jenkins is going to maintain as the No. 2 wide receiver this year?

Answer: I think it’s far too early to give this an in-depth answer because there’s so much that can happen between now and then, but I think Jenkins had a fantastic 2010 season despite missing much of training camp, the entire preseason and the first few weeks of the regular season. I think we saw exactly how much he means to the offense when he was on the shelf early in the season. The only reason I’m hesitant to come out with an emphatic yes has to do with the draft and what the Falcons are targeting. Word around the national media campfire is that a wide receiver could be taken within the first three rounds for the Falcons, so if that’s the case, Jenkins could have some competition heading into camp. But, I’d be very surprised if a rookie was able to unseat him in just one training camp.

Q: How would you feel if the Falcons got Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin in the seventh round?

A: I don’t think quarterback is a need right now (and obviously, we’re talking about backup QBs here), but I guess there’s some question as to how many more seasons Chris Redman has in him. Still, there’s no reason to believe the Falcons would carry, Matt Ryan, Redman, John Parker Wilson and another QB on the roster. Even putting one of them on the practice squad seems to be a stretch. The only reason I could see a quarterback drafted by the Falcons would be to provide some camp competition for the No. 2 spot behind Ryan, perhaps to even push Wilson to a new level. If that’s the case, it really doesn’t matter who the pick would be — Devlin or other — because whoever the second and third QBs are wouldn’t see time with Ryan healthy.

Q: I want to get a friend of mine with much potential a tryout with the Falcons. Got any suggestions?

A: The Falcons don’t hold any sort of open tryouts, so I’m terribly sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Best of luck to your friend, though!

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/11/monday-mailbag/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d0fbcf2b6973d82671f0000.jpgMore Options At No. 27http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/more-options-at-no-27/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/more-options-at-no-27/#commentsThu, 07 Apr 2011 17:44:19 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17127Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay JAWS about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas writes more draft gold today, focusing on the past players drafted at the slots of each of the NFC South teams.

The Falcons, in the No. 27 spot, have a solid chance of drafting a high caliber player if history is any indication.

One thing I will say is that Pat brings up the idea of the Falcons taking a wide receiver with the No. 27 pick if they like the value. I have to tell you, I’m starting to really get on board with that idea.

I know I’ve written about defensive ends to death since the offseason began, but wide receiver would be a very likely option in the first round if there’s one available the Falcons think would be worth taking at No. 27. I actually can see this being so much of an option that the Falcons could even trade back if there’s nothing they like at 27 and know they can get better value in the second.

If Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith is there, I can see him easily being the choice. If he’s not, I could see receivers like Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan, Boise State’s Titus Young, Miami’s Leonard Hankerson or Kentucky’s Randall Cobb being the pick if the Falcons trade away No. 27 and get into the early part of the second round.

I wrote before about how it generally takes three seasons before a wide receiver really starts to reach his potential, so I think Falcons fans have to be patient with whoever comes in, if the Falcons go that direction in the draft. But, as Yasinskas notes, head coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have been talking about a need to get more explosive, and taking a wide receiver who can take some pressure off Roddy White would certainly push the offense in that direction.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/more-options-at-no-27/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4da49363b6973db23d500000.jpgleftnav-draftTE Still In The Mix?http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/te-still-in-the-mix/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/te-still-in-the-mix/#commentsThu, 07 Apr 2011 14:50:55 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17125Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay JAWS about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

If you’ve been following along with our weekly Mock Monitor, you may have noticed an absence lately of a particular name that was somewhat intriguing a month ago.

Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph was projected by one of our sampled mocks to be the Falcons’ pick at the No. 27 spot last month, but that has since changed as prognosticators have focused more on defensive end, offensive tackle or cornerback for Atlanta in the first round.

But Rotoworld.com‘s Evan Silva tweeted some comments from NFL Network’s Mike Mayock on Wednesday that suggest Rudolph may still very well be a strong option for the Falcons in the first round.

Before you totally freak out, think about how this works. I’ve said it a million times: There are so many possible scenarios that can occur before the Falcons go on the clock at No. 27. That’s one of the downfalls of picking so late, so the guys in the war room will be prepared for anything.

Let’s say all the defensive linemen the Falcons have targeted are off the board and maybe one or two wide receivers are still there, but they’re sure they will still be around when the Falcons pick in the second round at No. 59 overall. There sits Rudolph, a big, strong, pass-catching tight end with loads of potential.

Granted, tight end isn’t an immediate need with veteran Tony Gonzalez deciding to come back for at least one more season, but you have to assume at 35 years old that the seasons left for him are minimal. Gonzalez has been an integral part of the offense since he was brought in and he’s been one of Matt Ryan’s favorite targets.

Therefore, when Gonzalez does decide to hang up the cleats, you want to have another tight end that can be as productive waiting in the wings for his chance. That’s where Rudolph makes a lot of sense.

If the Falcons do end up taking Rudolph, I urge those of you who are unsure about such a pick to look at the big picture. Think about two or three years from now. Yes, there are positions that can use some help right now, but the great thing about this year’s draft class is that the positions of need are awfully, awfully deep. Great value and talent can be had in the second, third and fourth rounds.

Rudolph is easily the best available tight end in the draft this year and could be an incredible weapon for Ryan down the line. Think Jason Witten for Tony Romo or Owen Daniels for Matt Schaub.

If it comes down to Rudolph, you don’t solve an immediate need, but you satisfy an area that will eventually become an immediate need. By doing that, you can pick for luxury down the line.

So, if this is the pick, I would totally understand the reasoning behind it. But I can also see the other side of it.

The Falcons have never drafted a tight end in the first round in the history of the franchise. Even an extremely productive tight end doesn’t always get close to wide receiver numbers in the box score. Plus, with Gonzalez coming back for the 2011 season, Rudolph doesn’t get much of a chance to contribute right away.

This, probably more than any other, would be a polarizing scenario for Falcons fans to face. You either love it or you hate it.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/07/te-still-in-the-mix/feed/0leftnav-drafthttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d64042eb6973d5938000000.jpgStudy Shows Falcons Drafting Wellhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/study-shows-falcons-drafting-well/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/study-shows-falcons-drafting-well/#commentsWed, 06 Apr 2011 16:01:43 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17116Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay JAWS about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

The NFC South, Yasinskas writes, did pretty good for itself. The Saints rank No. 2 in the study in the past five years. The Falcons were right behind at No. 5. The Bucs came in at No. 10 and Carolina rounded out the division at No. 24, although Yasinskas points out the Panthers’ ranking might be a bit too heavily influenced by last year’s 2-14 season.

The study calls quarterback Matt Ryan the best pick of the past five years for the Falcons. No surprise there.

Of 42 picks in the past five years, 26 are still on the roster. Nine of those players are starters, putting the Falcons right near the top in that category.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/study-shows-falcons-drafting-well/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4cb21440b6973d3774230000.jpgleftnav-draftInfluence At The Tophttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/influence-at-the-top/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/influence-at-the-top/#commentsWed, 06 Apr 2011 14:10:27 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17114Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay JAWS about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

I’ve seen a lot of mocks recently, and even some reports, projecting that division rival Carolina could, even should, take Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick. I’m also seeing that Denver could potentially be interested in taking a quarterback to add to their collection.

Never mind that putting Newton in the NFC South with Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman and Drew Brees would automatically make the division one of the most exciting to watch from a quarterback standpoint. Instead, let’s focus for a moment on how the Panthers taking Newton at the top spot and Denver possibly taking Blaine Gabbert at No. 2 might affect who the Falcons pick.

I can tell what you’re thinking: “Umm, Jay, both of those teams pick at Nos. 1 and 2; we pick at No. 27. How can they possibly have any influence over who the Falcons take?”

Let me run these scenarios by you, grasshopper.

Two quarterbacks coming off the board in the top two picks might send other teams hoping for a signal-caller scrambling. We’ve seen it before when there’s a run on one particular position. Teams that thought they could get some quality at that position in the mid or later part of the first round — heck, even the second round or later — could have their hands forced by Newton and Gabbert coming off the board so quickly.

What does all this mean for the Falcons?

Well, possibly one of two things, in my mind:

1. Newton and Gabbert becoming unavailable causes a domino effect. Teams that originally thought a player like AJ Green, Marcell Dareus, Von Miller, Patrick Peterson or Da’Quan Bowers would have been gone by the time they picked suddenly have those players fall into their laps. Perhaps those teams were expecting to take mid-first talent, but now they’ve got top-tier talent in their grasp. That frees up some of the mid-level talent to fall to the later part of the first round.

2. Newton and Gabbert come off the boards early. This causes teams who may have been interested in taking them to go to Plan B, possibly snapping up players at positions the Falcons might be targeting because there may be no other quarterbacks worth taking in the first round. The sudden run on these targets causes the Falcons to have to address the possibility of trading up in the first round in order to get value that may otherwise not make it down to the No. 27 pick.

Who knows? I’m just thinking aloud in the form of blog post writing.

I think the main lesson we can learn from this is that the draft can fall any which way. If an early team takes a player they’re not expected to pick, it could cause a shift all the way through the rest of the first round — perhaps even further.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/04/06/influence-at-the-top/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d9c71e2b6973d7a18000000.jpgleftnav-drafthttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4da49363b6973d0c48140000.jpgReport: Falcons Taking Hard Look At Baileyhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/report-falcons-taking-hard-look-at-bailey/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/report-falcons-taking-hard-look-at-bailey/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2011 17:00:48 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17048Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay JAWS about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

With so many defensive ends available in the Draft, the Falcons are tied to just about all of them through mock drafts. One in particular was an early favorite for the Falcons to pick at No. 27, but has now by most accounts slipped down into the second round and could be there when the Falcons select at No. 59 overall.

I like to hear that, but I have to point out that I may be a little biased when it comes to Bailey.

As I’ve mentioned before, I covered Bailey in high school when I was writing for the Savannah Morning News. Bailey was a senior at McIntosh County Academy when I started in Savannah, so I only saw him for a year, but what a year it was.

A lot of people describe watching talented athletes playing in high school like pro players among their fellow classmates. To me, Bailey was like a wild bull unleashed on Pop Warner kids.

In high school, he played inside linebacker and running back. And why not? Who was going to stop him? He was an absolute force on the field.

Of course, high school is no way to judge whether or not to draft a player into the NFL. But after following his career, I’m fairly confident Bailey can make a very smooth transition into the pro level, simply because of having his position changed over and over in college — from linebacker, to defensive end, to defensive tackle and all the way back again.

What is always the big story about Bailey is his upbringing. When I was in Savannah, I was fortunate enough to spend an entire day following him around for a “Day In The Life” piece I was writing, so I got to see these things firsthand.

Bailey is from a small island off the coast of Georgia — Sapelo Island — in a community called Hog Hammock. The population of the island at the time was about 50 people, but Bailey said at the Combine that it’s likely up to about 60 now.

To get to school at McIntosh County Academy, which is on the mainland, Bailey would take a ferry on Monday morning from the island. He’d then drive to school and spend the school week living with one of his coaches before eventually heading back to Sapelo on Friday.

Just some food for thought on Bailey: He’s not some kid who was pampered all his life because of his athletic ability. He’s a kid who spent time in the marshes around the island for fun. He’s got an outdoorsy-ness (not a word, but we’ll use it) to him that easily translates to the football field. He spent his childhood fishing and hunting, because that’s the way of life on Sapelo Island.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/report-falcons-taking-hard-look-at-bailey/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4da49372b6973d0c481f0000.jpgleftnav-draftDE, OT Class Looking Deephttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/de-ot-class-looking-deep/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/de-ot-class-looking-deep/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2011 13:46:46 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=17046Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay jaws about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

For this week’s Worldle, I wanted to see some so-called NFL Draft big boards. The two I found to be most interesting were those of Scout.com and ESPN’s Mel Kiper. From the big boards, I wanted to see what positions the two found to be the deepest at the top of the Draft.

So I took the positions from each board, plugged them into Wordle and voila (Click on the image to see a larger version):

For anyone who has been following draft coverage anywhere at all, it’s probably no surprise that defensive end is the deepest position among big boards right now. Any talk outside of Cam Newton has revolved around how talented the defensive end class is this year. The prevailing thought amongst experts is that the Falcons are in the market for one of them, so the fact that the class is so deep among the top 25 of these two big boards is certainly good news.

Behind the defensive tackle class, you can see from today’s Wordle that offensive tackle and defensive tackle are also two positions of particular depth in the first round. While it’d be tough to argue that the Falcons would be looking too hard at defensive tackles in the first round, they certainly could be eying up some of the offensive tackles available.

If you look through some of the mock drafts, you’ll likely see that there are some quality offensive tackles expected to still be available when the Falcons pick at No. 27 — including Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi (pictured above) and Colorado’s Nate Solder.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/30/de-ot-class-looking-deep/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d754ad6b6973d854b010000.jpgleftnav-draftNo Compensatory Picks For Falconshttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/25/no-compensation/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/25/no-compensation/#commentsFri, 25 Mar 2011 23:29:45 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16941Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay jaws about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

A lot of you have asked during the past few weeks if the Falcons have compensatory picks coming to them in April’s NFL Draft.

Well, here’s your answer: Not a single one.

The Falcons weren’t awarded any of the 32 compensatory picks handed out by the league Friday. I won’t attempt to explain this any better than NFL.com did:

“Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 221 choices in the seven rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft (April 28-30), which will kick off in primetime for the second consecutive year.”

The Falcons didn’t lose more compensatory free agents last year than they acquired, which would explain the lack of compensatory picks.

The Falcons are still expected to receive the draft picks acquired in the trades of cornerback Chris Houston to Detroit and tackle Quinn Ojinnaka to New England.

There were 23 teams that were awarded compensatory picks, with NFC South rival Carolina making out the best of any of them. The Panthers were awarded three compensatory picks, including one in the third round, because of losing defensive end Julius Peppers to Chicago in free agency.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/25/no-compensation/feed/0leftnav-drafthttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4c805a5fb6973d192bf70300.jpgWordle Wednesday Gets Sackedhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/23/wordle-wednesday-gets-sacked/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/23/wordle-wednesday-gets-sacked/#commentsWed, 23 Mar 2011 16:09:19 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16900Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay jaws about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

Judging from the headline, you probably think that I scrapped the idea of Wordle Wednesday, which premiered last week.

Not a chance.

World Wednesday is back for Round 2, this time with much more data to pour over.

It’s tough to come up with an idea that’s worth putting the time in to research and gather the information, but I think this week’s is a good one.

I decided to go back over the past 10 seasons and see which players have had the most sacks during that time period. I gathered up all players who have recorded a sack in the past 10 years and put them into Wordle. (If a player recorded a half-sack during the season, I just rounded up since there’s no way to illustrate decimals).

The problem was, there were so many entries that just had one or two sacks during those 10 seasons, so I decided to cut those out. Basically, what I ended up with was a Wordle of the players in the past 10 years who have the most sacks — with the minimum number of sacks being five — while with the Falcons.

And here it is (to view this Wordle bigger, just click on the photo):

I can probably guess what you’re thinking.

“OK, great. So, this tells us what exactly?”

Well, the idea behind a Wordle is to input the data and see what the artwork tells you. When I came up with the idea of doing this Wordle, I had no clue what the purpose of it was going to be until I did it.

Once I looked at it, I understood.

This Wordle, to me, illustrates the importance of solid defensive end play. The two biggest names — or the two players with the most sacks during that 10-season period — are John Abraham and Patrick Kerney, both defensive ends.

If you look at the next biggest names, you’ll see Rod Coleman and Brady Smith. Coleman was a defensive tackle, but Smith was a defensive end. So, of the four top sack-getters over the past 10 seasons, three of them are defensive ends.

I think that’s rather telling when we think about the Falcons’ offseason needs. It’s no secret by now that the consensus out there is that the Falcons could use some help in the pass rush department. If today’s Wordle tells us anything, that help should come in the form of a defensive end.

From a productivity standpoint, based on this data, finding a star at that position is the best way to generate more pressure — and more sacks — on opposing quarterbacks.

Should we be surprised by this? No, absolutely not.

This data simply backs up what we already knew: Defensive ends are likely your best chance to create pressure.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/23/wordle-wednesday-gets-sacked/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4c806169b6973d192b530600.jpgleftnav-draftPumping Up The Pass Rushhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/22/pumping-up-the-pass-rush/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/22/pumping-up-the-pass-rush/#commentsTue, 22 Mar 2011 19:31:54 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16890Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay jaws about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

Anyway, Abe came in at No. 7 in ESPN.com’s rankings — the lone NFC South representative in the top 10. If we look at the mocks, it’s clear that most experts believe the Falcons are looking to improve the pass rush during the offseason, particular in April’s Draft.

To be fair, Abe did anything but that during a Pro Bowl 2010 season with 13 sacks. But outside of him and Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson, who netted 11.5 sacks during a breakout year, the division lacked in this critical area.

Behind those two in the division were New Orleans defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis with 6 sacks, New Orleans defensive end Will Smith with 5, Tampa Bay defensive end Stylez G. White with 4.5 and then Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma with 4 in the top 40 pass rushers from the NFC in 2010.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/22/pumping-up-the-pass-rush/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d195d44b6973d78380d0000.jpgleftnav-draftJAWS: Mailbag Mondayhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/21/jaws-mailbag-monday/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/21/jaws-mailbag-monday/#commentsMon, 21 Mar 2011 16:18:48 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16839Welcome to AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams’ blog-style posts where Jay jaws about the Falcons. JAWS, of course, stands for Jay Adams Writes Stuff, which means all the Falcons news and information that slips through the cracks — and some that doesn’t — can be found right here in these posts

The response was overwhelming and I received a lot of good questions during the weekend, which allows me to start a new feature I’ll call Mailbag Monday (because, around here, we’re pretty big on alliteration; i.e, Wordle Wednesday, Photo Friday, etc.).

If you’re interested in having your questions answered, check me out on Formspring, where you can anonymously submit questions to me without having to sign up for anything. You can always ask your questions on Twitter and Facebook, if you prefer those methods.

I’m just going to select a few questions this week and keep a few for the next few weeks, so if your question isn’t answered here, don’t be discouraged. You’ll likely see it in the next few weeks.

One more thing, I’ll always take the questions and apply them here as you write them. I won’t edit them at all, so that in most cases we don’t lose the meaning or context of a question. Therefore, if you’re a stickler on grammar, spelling and punctuation, check your question before submitting. If not, no worries. I can decipher darn near anything.

Anyway, on to the mailbag:

Question: do u know u r the luckiest guy? to be able to hang with th Falcons all the time? Jay i may not know every single detail about the guys but i have been a Falcon fan since i was little. i love my Falcons…..

Answer: Yes, I do know that I’m extremely lucky to be doing what I’m doing right now. Every morning I walk in the building, I take a moment to remind myself of where I started out and the dreams I had and how I’ve accomplished those goals I set for myself. It’s an amazing feeling when you get to a point you’ve always hoped you could, so if you’re currently working toward a goal right now, I highly recommend seeing it through, no matter how difficult things get. The payoff is totally worth it.

Q: What is the status of Jerious Norwood? Will he be back as a Falcon this year?

A: I’ve heard nothing new about Jerious since he went on injured reserve, so I don’t know if he’ll be back this season. As soon as I know something, I’ll be sure to post it, but as of right now, he’s still a Falcon.

Q: do you have any inside information on the Falcons cheerleaders?

A: They’re currently in a very busy time of the year. Preliminary auditions took place yesterday and the field was cut down to, I believe, around 40 finalists. Those finalists will audition again Thursday night and then the final 2011 team will be named after that round. We’ll be streaming the final auditions live Thursday night, so definitely check that out. That’s all the inside information I have on the cheerleaders, but something tells me that wasn’t the purpose of the question…

Q: What position would you personally like to see the Falcons address in the first round?
A: I’ve said several times that people are going to have a hard time pinning me down to one pick I’d like to see the Falcons take in the first round. Positions are another story, but I doubt my answer is going to be all that satisfying to folks who want to get that one, solid, concrete answer from me (which, by the way, would likely be incorrect come the first round anyway). I’ll say this: I could see defensive end or offensive line addressed in the first round. I’ve looked at all the mocks and the roster and I’ve basically narrowed it down to these two positions. Is that what will happen? Possibly not. Well, probably not. The front office doesn’t ask my opinion on who we should draft, and rightfully so. But those two positions seem to make the most sense. I’ll also say that I could see a trade-back scenario or a best-player-available scenario happening. It’s too soon to tell and we’re picking too late to get a good read on something so specific.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to cover sports and why?

A: Honestly, I don’t know if it was ever a conscious decision. Sports have always been a huge part of my life. You name it, I played it. I played offensive line throughout high school and a year at the D-III level, but decided I was way too short to get any significant playing time, so I hung up the spikes. I guess a huge part of me wanted to keep sports in my life in some capacity, and since I was in school to become a writer, covering sports just seemed to be the natural fit. I spent six years in newspapers, covering every sport under the sun — from wrestling to regattas — but pro football was and will always be my passion. Covering sports allows you the leeway to have fun with what you’re doing. After all, at the end of the day, these are just games. What’s more fun than that? If you’re looking to get into covering sports, my biggest advice to you is to not take yourself too seriously.

Q: The extra draft picks the Falcons receive from the Quinn trade to NE and the Chris Houston trade to Detroit (especially) are all over the place. Which picks do the Falcons get, per the Falcons?

A: Excellent question, and to preface, the asker is referring to the compensatory picks the Falcons are due to receive because of the trades of Quinn Ojinnaka and Chris Houston. The answer is that there is no answer yet. These picks are usually named during the owners meetings, which are occurring this week in New Orleans. What I’m hearing is that those picks will now be announced at a later date. So, sit tight. We may not know for a bit.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/21/jaws-mailbag-monday/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4d8680e0b6973d9d2f080000.jpgJAWS: Get Your Questions Answeredhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/17/jaws-get-your-questions-answered/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/17/jaws-get-your-questions-answered/#commentsThu, 17 Mar 2011 19:27:59 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16814Welcome to my new blog-style posts that I’m going to affectionately call JAWS. What does JAWS stand for? Jay Adams Writes Stuff. Can’t blame me for not being literal. Anyway, I’ll be updating this section of the site several times per day to give you my take on certain news items concerning the Falcons, while also giving you a chance to voice your concerns in a poll.

Most folks think of Facebook and Twitter as all of social media. Truth is, there are a slew of social media sites and technologies popping up all over the place.

Take, for instance, Foursquare — a geolocating social medium, which means you check in at the places you go and earn points for it to compete with your friends (you can friend me there).

Formspring.me has been around for a little while, but it hasn’t gathered a whole lot of steam. Basically, Formspring.me allows you to ask questions to someone who creates a profile completely anonymously, if you wish.

So, I created an account. While I’m completely accessible on Facebook and Twitter, you can now go to my Formspring.me profile and ask me any question you’d like about the Falcons, our coverage on AtlantaFalcons.com or whatever you like without the hassle of people, or me, knowing who you are.

Each week, I’ll compile a few of the best questions and answer them in a mailbag post.

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/17/jaws-get-your-questions-answered/feed/0leftnav-drafthttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4cbb1d82b6973d0b54000000.jpgJAWS: Wordle Wednesdayhttp://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/16/jaws-wordle-wednesday/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/16/jaws-wordle-wednesday/#commentsWed, 16 Mar 2011 18:32:24 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16795Welcome to my new blog-style posts that I’m going to affectionately call JAWS. What does JAWS stand for? Jay Adams Writes Stuff. Can’t blame me for not being literal. Anyway, I’ll be updating this section of the site several times per day to give you my take on certain news items concerning the Falcons, while also giving you a chance to voice your concerns in a poll.

You’re probably wondering what a Wordle is. I don’t blame you. First of all, it’s not a real word. Secondly, it could be darn near anything.

It could be a type of food: “Yes, I’ll take an order of Wordle to go, please.”

It could be a destination: “OMG, I’m, like, so excited to spend spring break in Wordle this year. Lolz.” (By the way, never, ever “lolz.” Ever.)

It could be an animal: “Yes, hello? Exterminators? Hey, I’ve got a Wordle living under my front porch and it keeps scaring the kids, and I’m pretty sure it ate the mailman.”

A Wordle, I’ll have you know, is none of these things. (But feel free to use them in any of these scenarios, as long as you don’t “lolz.”)

Wordle is an online software that takes data and creates an eye-pleasing graphic based on the number of times a certain piece of datum is used.

For example, the Wordle I did for this week’s Wordle Wednesday is simple: What positions have the Falcons most often drafted in the first round?

So, I took that question and went back, organized the data, plugged that information into Wordle and bam! Art.

More than just something fun to look at, it tells you — based on the size of each word — how much of a discrepancy there is between the positions. The larger a position name is displayed, the more often it has been drafted by the Falcons in the first round. The smaller a position name, the less often it has been drafted by the Falcons in the first round.

Get it?

I know this one is tough because there are some words that appear to be the same size, so I’ll give you the actual numbers:

Offensive Tackle: 6

Running Back: 6

Wide Receiver: 5

Quarterback: 5

Defensive End: 5

Defensive Tackle: 5

Cornerback: 5

Linebacker: 4

Guard: 2

Safety: 2

Tight End: 1

There you have it. The first ever Wordle Wednesday. There will be more of these to come. Now, the obligatory poll:

]]>http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/16/jaws-wordle-wednesday/feed/0http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media/photo/4c806a2cb6973d192b690900.jpgleftnav-draftJAWS: Falcons Looking At Wide Receivers?http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/16/jaws-falcons-looking-at-wide-receivers/
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2011/03/16/jaws-falcons-looking-at-wide-receivers/#commentsWed, 16 Mar 2011 14:16:05 +0000Jay Adamshttp://www.atlantafalcons.com/?p=16755Welcome to my new blog-style posts that I’m going to affectionately call JAWS. What does JAWS stand for? Jay Adams Writes Stuff. Can’t blame me for not being literal. Anyway, I’ll be updating this section of the site several times per day to give you my take on certain news items concerning the Falcons, while also giving you a chance to voice your concerns in a poll.

It started with mock drafts and now it’s moved to blog posts with facts to back it up: It seems the Falcons are looking for help at wide receiver.

It doesn’t surprise me to see this kind of news as general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the scouts and the coaching staff do their due diligence on every position there is to look at.

If the guys at the top decide to take a wideout, I’ll caution fans to temper expectations for what that wide receiver will be able to accomplish in the first three years of his career.

It’s pretty common knowledge around the league that wideouts tend to take a while to develop. There are a few exceptions, of course, but those exceptions are few and far between. Perhaps the only wide receiver in this Draft that could contribute at a high level right away is Georgia’s A.J. Green.